Scientists Discover Two New Mammals in Australia

CNET reports:
Two new species of greater glider, a cat-size marsupial that lives in the forests of Australia, have been discovered after scientists ran DNA tests on new tissue samples of the animals. A new study published in Nature’s public access Scientific Reports journal details the findings… Using genetic sequencing tests from tissue samples taken from various gliders found in areas of Queensland, Victoria, as well as museum specimens, researchers were able to confirm differences in the gliders’ DNA… The new study focusing on the genetics of greater gliders found three distinct species living in the southern, central and northern areas of Australia. Researchers from Australian National University, the University of Canberra, CSIRO and James Cook University worked together on the study. “There has been speculation for a while that there was more than one species of greater glider but now we have proof from the DNA. It changes the whole way we think about them,” study researcher Denise McGregor told The Guardian.